Railway car construction



1953 -r. MADLAND RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 15. 1950 vs/vroe THOEVJLD MQDLHND Patented Nov. 10, 1953 RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Thorvald Madland, Chicago, Ill. assignor to The Youngstown Steel Door Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 15, 1950, Serial No. 185,038

3 Claims.

This invention relates to railway car construction and more particularly to construction for refrigerator ears whereby protection from rain for both men and commodities is insured.

It is an object of this invention to provide refrigerator cars which shall have troughs above and extending along and beyond the dooropenings formed in the cars and adapted to intercept rain and the like running off the roofs of the cars and discharge it beyond the door openmgs.

A further object is to provide refrigerator cars which shall embody members secured to and extending along the cars above the door openings therein and beyond the door openings which members shall intercept and discharge rain and the like running off the roofs of the cars and guide and retain flush doors slidably mounted on the cars.

A further object is to provide refrigerator cars of the character described immediately above wherein the members shall serve as abutments during the movement of the doors into and out of the door openings.

A further object is to provide refrigerator cars which shall attain the objects set forth above without necessitating an increase in the number of parts normally used or the cost of assembly.

I Other objects of the invention willbecome clear as the description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings forming part of this specification:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a refrigerator car embodying the instant invention.

Fig. 2: is a vertical section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 with the operating mechanism omitted.

Referring to the drawingsin which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated, the reference numeral 80 designates a refrigerator car as a whole. The car is provided with door openings one of which is shown at I l. The width of the door opening is determined by the front and rear door posts l2 and I3 and the top of the door opening is determined by the side plate 3 which as is customary extends substantially from end toend of the car. I

As shown more clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings the side plate embodies an inner upstanding flange t the upper edge of which is flanged as indicated at It to provide a support for a roof (not shown). The side plate [4 also embodies an outwardly extending flange i l which carries an outer depending flange l8.

The door opening 1 is-adapted to be closed by means of a door H) which may be of any desired constructionand which isslidably mounted upon the car by means well known in the-art. When in closed position-the door is adapted to be seatedin the dooropening ll so as tobe flush with the side of the car as is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

To impart movement to the door into and out of the door opening any one of the various mechanisms well known to the art may be utilized. The specific construction of such mechanism is immaterial insofar as the instant invention is concerned,- it being necessary only to point out for the purpose of this invention that such mechanism embodies vertical bars 25 and 2! rotat'ably mounted on the outside of the door as by means of brackets 22 and 23. As illustrated the bars 20 and 21 project above the top of the door opening and are provided with crank arms 24 and 25 which carry upwardly extending spindles 26- and 21. Rollers 28 and 29 are mounted upon the spindles so-as to rotate in a horizontal plane. A- retainer is provided to prevent the upper portion of the door from falling away from the car side.

In accordance with the instant invention a door retainer 30 is utilized. f The retainer 30' embodies a substantially horizontal web 3| which is preferably disposed above the outwardly extending flange H of the side plate. Inner and outer substantially vertical flanges 32 and 33 extend downwardly from the web- 3| With particular reference to Fig. 2 of the drawings it will be seen that the inner flange 32 is offset as indicated at 34 so as to provide a portion 35 which lies in spaced relationship to the side plate [-4 and extends above the outwardly extending flange ll of the side plate. The portion of the inner flange 32 of the retainer below the offset 34 is secured to the side plate as by means of rivets 36. The retainer 30 extends along the car above the door opening and terminates at both ends beyond the door opening.

By reason of the construction of the retainer hereinafter described it willbe apparent that it serves as a means to intercept rain water and the like running off the roof of the car and discharging the same outwardly of the car beyond the door opening. By reason of this function the retainer serves to protect both men and commodities in the trucking of such commodities into and out of the car.

By virtue of this construction, moreover, the retainer serves to guide the door in its movement along the car side and to prevent the door from falling off the car. Additionally, the retainer affords abutments whereby the door can be moved into and out of thedoor opening.

As is shown more clearly in Fig. 2 of thedrawings the rollers 28 and 29 which are mounted on the spindles 26 and 21 are received between the downwardly extending flange 33 and the portion 35 of the inner flange 32 of the retainer. During movement of the door along the car these rollers have rolling bearing against the outerflange 33 so as to guide the door in its movement, and the portion 35 of flange 32 serves to prevent thero1l-- ers from contacting the side of the carin the event pressure is applied to the door during such movement. The flanges 32' and 33', moreover, serve as abutments during the movements of the door into and out of the door opening. When the door has been positioned over the door opening actuation of the vertical bars 20 and 2| to seat the door in the door opening will cause the rollers 28 and 29 to bear against the outer flange 33 which thereby serves as an abutment for the rollers to bring about the inward movement of the door. During the movement of the door outwardly from the door opening the rollers will bear against the portion 35 of the inner flange 32 which accordingly serves as an abutment for the rollers during such movement of the door.

In order that the door may properly be seated in the door opening while limiting the projection of the door beyond the side or the car when the door is open both the flange 32 and the weather angle 43 which is secured to the car above the door opening are modified. A portion of the flange 32 is removed adjacent to each of the bars 20 and 2| as indicated at 44 in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Similarly, a portion is removed, as indicated at 45, from the upstanding leg 40 of the weather angle 43 adjacent to each of the bars 20 and 2| and in vertical alinement with the portions removed from flange 32. The areas provided by such removal receive the parts of the crank arms 24 and 25 adjacent to the rods 20 and 2| so that they lie closer to the car side.

Because of the relatively great pressure which is applied to the outer flange 33 by the rollers when the door is seated within the door opening this flange is reinforced at the rollers by means of metallic members 31 and 33. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings these members are secured to the side plate as by means of welding 39. From the point of securement these members extend across the web 3| of the retainer as shown at 40 and then downwardly as indicated at 4| along the outer flange 33 to which it is secured as by means of welding 42.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having a door opening, a side plate above the door opening embodying an outer vertical flange and a substantially horizontal flange extending inwardly from the upper part of said vertical flange, and a sliding flush door provided with mechanism for moving the door into and out of the door opening comprising vertical bars rotatably mounted on said door and having cranks on the upper ends thereof including upwardly extending spindles carrying rollers, the combination with said rollers or a retaining member, said retaining member extending along said car above and beyond said door opening and comprising a web and spaced inner and outer substantially vertical flanges extending downwardly from said web, said inner vertical flange of said retaining member being secured to outer vertical flange of said side plate and offset outwardly thereof to provide a portion spaced therefrom, said offset portion, web and outer vertical downwardly extending flange of said retaining member forming a channel, said rollers lying in said channel, said portion and said latter flange constituting abutments for said rollers during the operation of the mechanism to move the door into and out of the door opening.

2. In a refrigerator car having a door opening, a side plate above the door opening embodying an outer vertical flange and a substantially horizontal flange extending inwardly from the upper portion of said vertical flange, and a sliding flush door provided with mechanism for moving the door into and out of the door opening comprising vertical bars rotatably mounted on said door and having cranks on the upper ends thereof including upwardly extending spindles carrying rollers, the combination with said rollers 01 a retaining member, said retaining member extending along said car above and beyond said door opening and comprising a web and spaced inner and outer substantially vertical flanges extending downwardly from said web, said inner vertical flange of said retaining member being secured to said outer vertical flange of said side plate and offset outwardly thereof to provide a portion spaced therefrom, said offset portion, web and outer vertical downwardly extending flange of said retaining member forming a channel, said rollers lying in said channel, said portion and said latter flange constituting abutments for said rollers during the operation of the mechanism to move the door into and out of the door opening, a portion of said inner flange secured to said car being coped adjacent to the bars to receive the adjacent portions of the cranks.

3. In a refrigerator car having a door opening, a side plate above the door opening embodying an outer vertical flange and a substantially horizontal flange extending inwardly irom the upper part of said vertical flange, a sliding flush door provided with mechanism for moving the door into and out of the door opening comprising vertical bars rotatably mounted on said door and having cranks on the upper ends thereof including upwardly extending spindles carrying rollers, the combination with said rollers of a retaining member, said retaining member extending along said car above and beyond said door opening and comprising a web and spaced inner and outer substantially vertical flanges extending downwardly from said web, said inner vertical flange of said retaining member being secured to outer vertical flange of said side plate and offset outwardly thereof to provide a portion spaced therefrom, said offset portion, web and outer vertical downwardly extending flange of said retaining member forming a channel, said rollers lying in said channel, said portion and said latter flange constituting abutments for said rollers during the operation of the mechanism to move the door into and out of the door opening, and metallic members secured to said side plate and extending therefrom across said web and downwardly along said outer downwardly extending flange where the rollers abut said latter flange during the movement of the door into the door opening, said members being secured to said latter flange.

THORVALD MADLAND.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,413,702 Benjamin Apr. 25, 1922 1,914,194 Conrad et al June 13, 1933 2,215,315 Beauchamp Sept. 17, 1940 2,240,115 Herter Apr. 29, 1941 2,453,793 Hveem Nov. 16, 1948 2,522,761 Madland Sept. 19, 1950 2,563,178 Madland Aug. 7, 1951 

